The restaurant’s answering machine says the closure is "pending a change of ownership," after six years in Midtown Sacramento.

According to the Midtown Business Association, about 100 dining spots in the area are vying for limited dollars and customers.

"I would say there’s a certain amount of turnover," said Tricia Bernhardt, a restaurant broker for Restaurant eXchange. "The economy is still not very strong in my opinion, in terms of the actual numbers. There’s still a lot of competition in Midtown and downtown."

Bernhardt said there are constant challenges to running a restaurant successfully, such as high food costs and planning for the imminent wage hike.

"A lot of things have (to) come together," she said. "You really have to be an extraordinary manager sometimes to wear all of those hats. There can be things behind the scenes that we the public aren’t aware of."

While places like Sweetwater Restaurant & Bar remain unoccupied, other dining spots such as Oshima Sushi are also popping up frequently.

"There are many investor groups behind each restaurant," said Emily Baime Michaels, the executive director of the Midtown Business Association. "And so often, different restaurants that have completely different concepts, completely different owners, are very close-knit behind the scenes."

She said that’s why it’s not unusual to see a string of restaurants close, followed a string of new restaurants opening.

"The restaurant industry is fragile, whether it’s in a thriving area such as ours or not," she said.

US THEIR GUIDES ARE REQUIRED TO WEAR HELMETS WHILE ON DUTY. ANOTHER SACRAMENTO RESTAURANT HAS CLOSED. THE BISTRO SHUT ITS DOORS FOLLOWING WHAT SEEMS TO BE A STRING OF RESTAURANTS IN MIDTOWN SHUTTING ITS DOORS. CLAIRE DO ONE LIVE WITH WHAT MAY EXPLAIN THE TURNOVER IN THE DINING SCENE LOCALLY. IT'S PRETTY , AND YOU HEAR SOMETHING LIKE THIS BECAUSE THERE ARE A LIMITED NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS AND DOLLARS. AFTER OVER SIX YEARS OF SERVICE WE HAVE CLOSED PENDING A CHANGE IN OWNERSHIP. THE UPSCALE SPOT NOW IN LIMBO AFTER A RESTAURANT BY THE SAME CHEF SHUT HIS DOORS. THE ECONOMY IS STILL NOT VERY STRONG IN TERMS OF NUMBERS. THERE IS A LOT OF COMPETITION DOWNTOWN. THERE ARE CONSTANT CHALLENGES TO RUNNING A RESTAURANT, LIKE HIGH FOOD COSTS, PLANNING FOR MINIMUM WAGE HIKES. A LOT OF THINGS HAVE TO COME TOGETHER. YOU HAVE TO BE AN EXTRAORDINARY MANAGER TO WEAR ALL THOSE HATS. THERE COULD BE THINGS BEHIND THE SCENES WE'RE NOT AWARE OF. LACES ARE STILL UNOCCUPIED. AT THE SAME TIME NEW DINING

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